Research done by the Public Health Agency found that less than half of Canadians will go get vaccinated as soon as the coronavirus vaccine is available to them.
According to surveys obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter, only 41% of Canadians agree with the statement: “I would get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as it became available to me.”
Among the groups most likely to avoid the vaccine are young people, low-income people, Indigenous people and working women.
Researchers found that people who follow mainstream media and have high levels of trust in government are much more likely to want to get vaccinated.
“Canadians who follow recommended health behaviours, use traditional media sources, trust government and traditional media, worry about their personal and community health and safety and DO NOT feel COVID-19 is overblown are more likely to agree they would be vaccinated. The converse is true for Canadians who are less likely to agree.”
A poll in August found that 61% of Canadians were worried about potential side effects of coronavirus vaccines. Despite this, 80% said they would still get vaccinated eventually.
“Canadians who use social information sources – social media, friends and family – are less likely to agree they should be vaccinated, indicating that social media and word of mouth strategies will be very important for designing an effective communications campaign.”
Of those surveyed by the Public Health Agency, 45% said they “would get a Covid-19 vaccine but would want to wait a bit.”
